S-U-C-C-E-E-S!
That's the way you spell success*
I'm glad to report that my wife and I were successful in finding and getting an apartment for our move to New York at the end of the month. After looking both with and without brokers (more in a bit) in Manhattan, we made our way to Queens and found a beauty of an apartment in the Astoria neighborhood.
Here's a street in the area:
For those unfamiliar with the process of apartment hunting in New York City, it's not the easiest thing to do on a five-day trip. Because of rental laws, just about everything is in favor of the tenant as opposed to the landlord, so the latter make it very difficult to rent, in order to protect their interests. The first, and biggest, impediment is brokers. Most landlords use brokers to find tenants, and those brokers charge fees, usually one to two months rent. Given that brokers can only show apartments in buildings they're hired for, it's recommended to look with more than one broker to open up the options available. But if you see a place you like and don't take it then and there, that apartment will almost certainly be gone the next day, considering that New York City has a rental vacancy rate of less than 2%.
It is possible to find an apartment in New York City without a broker, by dealing directly with the landlord (usually via sites like Craigslist and the Village Voice), but the quality of apartments tend to be lower, and the "no fee" apartments go much faster than "broker fee" ones, as just about everybody else apartment hunting is looking to bypass that extra fee. So we met with a broker and saw a place we liked and took it. Relieved, now we have one less thing to worry about.
*According to Bart Simpson, who falls off a roof after a celebration dance for the retrieval of a toy plane.
I'm glad to report that my wife and I were successful in finding and getting an apartment for our move to New York at the end of the month. After looking both with and without brokers (more in a bit) in Manhattan, we made our way to Queens and found a beauty of an apartment in the Astoria neighborhood.
Here's a street in the area:
For those unfamiliar with the process of apartment hunting in New York City, it's not the easiest thing to do on a five-day trip. Because of rental laws, just about everything is in favor of the tenant as opposed to the landlord, so the latter make it very difficult to rent, in order to protect their interests. The first, and biggest, impediment is brokers. Most landlords use brokers to find tenants, and those brokers charge fees, usually one to two months rent. Given that brokers can only show apartments in buildings they're hired for, it's recommended to look with more than one broker to open up the options available. But if you see a place you like and don't take it then and there, that apartment will almost certainly be gone the next day, considering that New York City has a rental vacancy rate of less than 2%.
It is possible to find an apartment in New York City without a broker, by dealing directly with the landlord (usually via sites like Craigslist and the Village Voice), but the quality of apartments tend to be lower, and the "no fee" apartments go much faster than "broker fee" ones, as just about everybody else apartment hunting is looking to bypass that extra fee. So we met with a broker and saw a place we liked and took it. Relieved, now we have one less thing to worry about.
*According to Bart Simpson, who falls off a roof after a celebration dance for the retrieval of a toy plane.
Congratulations on finding a new place and on your recent nuptials. I can only imagine how demanding it must be to search for an apartment with an architect ;-)
ReplyDeleteBut what a rat race New York is! That's crazy about the broker fees.
So you and Eric will both be in school at the same time for similar things. Maybe you can study together. Take care.
Good luck in the new place
ReplyDeletenew york is apparently a LOT lke Tokyo.
ReplyDeletemy wife and i went through much the same process as you, but it was 4 days, raining EVERY day and we had a 1 year old strapped to one or the other of us as we took the subway all over the city...not a fun experience. it worked though, and we are totally satisfied with our digs. hopefully the same will go fo you.
have a blast in NY!
neal - Luckily my wife and I have the same taste, so when we saw the apt. we both knew right away that it was IT. I'm curious to see how Eric's program differs from mine. While technically we'll have the same degree when we're done (Master in Urban Planning), I'll be in an Urban Design program. Maybe the difference is only semantic, but I think my program leans more towards a creative, as opposed to practical, approach to the city...hopefully without sacrificing the latter.
ReplyDeletewill - Well, from what I've heard about Tokyo, at least apartments in NYC have appliances. The above-mentioned Eric lived in Tokyo for a while and told me apartments come literally unfurnished, minus some tatami mats. And although we didn't have rain or a toddler, the 100 degree heat made exploring neighborhoods by foot a rather painful experience.
marie* - T-H-A-N-K-S!
yeah that is true about non-furnished flats, john. the really cheap places don't even have lights, just an outlet in the ceiling ( ! ) which was a bit of a culture shock for me. don't mind buying the fridge and gas range though. i love my fridge too much to let it go when i move ;-)
ReplyDeletehear ya about the heat and walking. i suspect finding a flat just ain't fun in any big city.
John, congratulations! That sounds like a small miracle.
ReplyDeleteJust curious, are there any interesting shops or landmarks in your neighborhood?
anon - Not much in terms of shops, but Astoria is home to the Museum of the Moving Image, the Kaufman Astoria Studios, the Steinway Mansion, Astoria Park, and just a bit south - closer to Long Island City - is the Socrates Sculpture Park and Noguchi Museum. Check out this podcast for some information on Astoria.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the apartment! I've been enjoying your blog for a while now. I'm a huge fan of Astoria - terrific neighbourhood feel and many fantastic, affordable restaurants. Enjoy the new place!
ReplyDeleteYour photos this week have been great. chose a good sub.
ReplyDeleteDeirdre G
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